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The question for some families this Thanksgiving is not how long to bake the turkey but which
ready-made feast to buy.

As Thanksgiving Day nears, central Ohio groceries and restaurants are in a heated competition to
sell fully prepared holiday meals-to-go to the time-strapped or cooking-averse.

Giant Eagle expects to sell 4,000 Thanksgiving-to-go meals this year, said Tom DeVries, a
vice president for the Pittsburgh-based grocery retailer.

Kroger also is projecting an increase in sales of prepared Thanksgiving meals this year,
spokeswoman Amy McCormick said.

She said the economic downturn likely is playing a role as more people view prepared meals as
less expensive than cooking from scratch. They're also buying meals as gifts.

"Some people are hard to shop for, but everyone will eat a holiday meal," McCormick said. "We've
already got orders in. Some people are donating dinners or giving them as gifts."

Kroger and Giant Eagle declined to disclose specifics about the increased sales of meals-to-go
for competitive reasons.

The trend continues to take hold as the price of the traditional Thanksgiving meal for those who
plan to cook has gone up this year by about 1.3 percent, according to the American Farm Bureau
Federation.

To feed a family of 10, the average cost of 12 items, including turkey, stuffing and
cranberries, comes out to $43.47. That's 56 cents higher than last year's average of $42.91, but
$1.14 less than the same meal two years ago, the federation said.

A sampling of prices for the prepared meals shows $39.99 at Meijer, $44.99 at Kroger and $59.99
at Giant Eagle.

With prices of the prepared meals so close to what consumers would pay to make the meals
themselves, that makes it more attractive to consumers who see the meals as a valuable timesaver,
said Tom Jackson, president of the Ohio Grocers Association.

"Customers are looking for value," he said. "Convenience is extremely important to people."

The business of prepared Thanksgiving meals for grocery retailers "has grown steadily over the
last several years as more grocery stores have gotten into doing it and attracting more and more
customers each year," he said.

Restaurant chains have also gotten into the take-and-heat Thanksgiving meal business.

Bob Evans' $74.99 Farmhouse Feast Thanksgiving meal has steadily grown in popularity in the four
years the Columbus-based restaurant chain has offered it, spokeswoman Margaret Standing said,
though she declined to provide specific numbers.

"Customers can order it online this year for the first time," she said. "We're expecting a lot
of busy people who will let us cook the holiday meal for them.

"Our business is increasing each year as more people learn it's an easy, great option, with good
food that allows them to spend more time with their family and friends."

Boston Market is offering a Thanksgiving meal for $84.99, and Cracker Barrel is offering its
to-go meal for $49.99, in addition to being open for dine-in business on Thanksgiving Day,
spokeswoman Julie Davis said.

"More people are relying on Cracker Barrel for this feast with no fuss (that) provides people
with the opportunity to entertain in their own homes, knowing that they will be receiving high
quality that offers great value," Davis said. "This way, people can spend time with their family
and friends rather than in the kitchen."

The competition for the prepared Thanksgiving meals is not just about price, but about quality,
Giant Eagle's DeVries said.

"Anybody that sells food is our competition," he said. "We look at what our competitors are
pricing at (and) we might be positioned higher, but when you look at the quantity and quality we're
providing, we believe it's still a value."